FAQs

So what IS an Escape Room?

Some people say that an Escape Room is like living a movie for 60 minutes. Much like a movie, Escape Rooms are themed rooms that have a story and you are the players or characters. There can be puzzles, clues, diary entries, newspaper clippings and more guiding you through the storyline and helping you solve a mystery, find hidden treasure, and ultimately, Escape The Room.

Do I have to make a reservation?

Yes! We are by appointment only so you must book a reservation online to play a room. We cannot accept any walk-ins. To check out all our available time slots and book your reservation, click here to book now!

How difficult is each room?

At Black Cat you can select the level of difficulty that you prefer - Standard, Intermediate, or Advanced. Pick the level at which you feel most comfortable and we will suit the room to your group! While we're not saying that the beginner level will be EASY, the clues and puzzles will be challenging for you based on your experience with escape rooms, the number of people in your group, and your desire for difficulty. Just select your preferred difficulty level when you make your online reservation here!

Want to make your special occasion unique?

We at Black Cat can help you plan a phenomenal experience for all your special occasions. Planning a birthday, anniversary, proposal, gender reveal, bachelor/bachelorette party? Contact us at least 24 hours in advance of your booking for birthdays and at least a week prior to a larger celebration and we can customize to your specific event a little surprise reveal in any of our escape rooms. Let us help you make those special moments a true celebration.

Who can play an Escape Room?

Anyone! Escape Rooms are great for...

* Team-building

* Fundraisers

* School field-trips

* Holiday Parties

* Family Reunions

* Conferences

* Sports team events

* Vacations

* Meetups

* Date Nights

* Birthday Parties

* And groups just looking for something fun to do on the weekend!

Can I host my next company outing and team-building event here?

Absolutely! The teamwork required in escape rooms is a naturally excellent experience for team-building. The element of fun combined with the exciting storylines is an excellent morale boost for your company while the collaboration and shared goal spark great group bonding and encourage working together as a team. Post-game is a perfect opportunity for a discussion on different roles in your team, shared efforts toward a common goal, and areas of growth for members who tend to dominate the conversation as well as members who shy away from contribution when their ideas may be the exact ones needed.

The Dollhouse has a maximum of 8 players while The Stray Cat Speakeasy has a maximum of 10 players. If you have more than 10 players, please send us an email for discounted pricing if you would like to split your group into 2 teams and have them race in both rooms to compete to see who can escape first! This is a popular option for our team-builders! Though the start times are staggered online, if you let us know ahead of time, we can begin both rooms at the same time so your players can compete to see who can escape first! Click here for our contact information if you have more than 10 players. Click here for our booking page if you have less than 10 players and are ready to see our available times and book your next company outing now!

What TIME should I arrive?

Please arrive AT YOUR BOOKING TIME. You do not need to arrive 15 minutes early and in fact our doors will open 5 minutes prior to your game start time.

If you arrive AFTER your booking time, you MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY. Think of it like a movie, it starts at the designated time whether you're there or not! Your time in the escape room may be reduced to account for your lateness or you may not be able to play at all. If you are unable to play based upon tardiness, we CANNOT SUBMIT A REFUND to you as your bookings reserved the spots from other potential players.

Do you have to be "smart" to play an Escape Room?

Absolutely not! No prior knowledge is needed to play the room, everything you need to solve each clue is provided to you in the room.

Contrary to popular thought, an Escape Room is not just about solving puzzles. While there are some rooms that might have more puzzles for the nerds at heart, there is also a large variety of different types of tasks or steps. There is something to appeal to everyone whether you are more cerebral, street smart, or physically coordinated.

Still not sure? Each room at Black Cat has a beginner, medium, and advanced level. Pick whichever level on which you feel most comfortable and we will suit the room for you! We're not saying the beginner level will be EASY per say, but whatever level you choose, the clues and puzzles will be challenging for you based on your experience with escape rooms, the number of people in your group, and your desire for difficulty.

Will we play alone or with strangers?

Great news! We now offer ALL private rooms for every booking!! As soon as you book a time slot it will automatically close all the other available spaces in the room with you. Want to play with your group but some are paying separately? No problem! We require at least 1 paid ticket to hold the room but anyone else can pay when they arrive so long as everyone in your group arrives 15 minutes prior to your reservation start time and provided that they pay on a credit card as we do not accept cash.

What age range can play?

Our room decor, stories, and game-play are designed for teenagers and up. As a general rule, children 6 and up are able to play with an adult accompanying them.

If you have a child younger than 6 that you would like to play, you can give us a call at 757-572-3760 for more information.

Each minor must have a waiver signed by their parent or guardian filled out and submitted online to us prior to arriving for their booking. A parent or guardian must be present on the premises at all times.

Can I play with a physical limitation?

Absolutely! While some of our rooms may have one more physical element such as stooping or crawling, we ALWAYS have an alternate route for anyone who cannot or chooses not to participate. Just inform a staff member when being checked in so we can be sure to accommodate the entirety of your group.

Though we do have a wheelchair accessible front door and restroom, at this time, only one of our themed experiences is completely wheelchair accessible: The Stray Cat Speakeasy. The Dollhouse has accommodated several people in wheelchairs previously but the intro door width is just shy of ADA compliant measurement.

If you are colorblind, have a sensitivity to smells, are deaf, noise sensitive, or have any other individual considerations about which you are concerned please let us know ahead of time and we can accommodate you. Give us a call for any specific questions!

Are the rooms scary?

While our Dollhouse room is meant to be creepy, we wouldn't say it is scary. There aren't any actors in any of our rooms and no one will jump out at you. There is also no gore or horror in any of our rooms.

Looking for something spooky? While our Dollhouse isn't horror-themed, it is definitely creepy! Dolls surround you from every angle and did that doll just follow you with her eyes? Did this one's head turn? Who knows in this spooktacular ghostly Victorian playroom? Give it a whirl and test if you're brave enough to face the hundreds of doll faces in The Dollhouse.

How much is it to play an escape room?

Every experience is a private experience at Black Cat! That means that you never have to worry about playing with strangers in any of our escape experiences. But as we all know, the more the merrier so the more of your friends and family you bring, the less the cost of each ticket! So bring all of your favorite sleuths to escape reality with Black Cat.

Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Sundays

2 players -- $40 per person

3 players -- $35 per person

4 players -- $30 per person

5 - 10 players -- $27 per person

Saturdays

2 players -- $60 per person

3 players -- $40 per person

4 players -- $30 per person

5 - 10 players -- $27 per person

Can I host my child's birthday party here?

We recommend ages 6 and up to be able to really get into the rooms and participate. If your child and his/her friends are 6 years old or older, hosting their birthday party at Black Cat Escape Room is a birthday extravaganza they won't forget!

Our rooms are designed for adults so we do ask that you keep a close eye on them during their game. There are glass and breakables in the rooms and kids could accidentally drop and break things if they are not being careful or if they carry around breakables for example.

Since our rooms have adjustable difficulty levels, you can accommodate for the age of the kids and their experience levels by choosing a difficulty level that will still give them a challenge but not be impossible for their age range. We can recommend The Dollhouse as the slightly easier room between the two. Players are able to get more of a flow going in that room and move more easily from puzzle to puzzle. The Dollhouse is a spooky theme but not scary. We do not have any actors in the room jump out at you. 90% of kids are completely comfortable playing The Dollhouse however there are Victorian-era dolls in the room so if your child is specifically afraid of dolls, you may want to opt for The Stray Cat Speakeasy.

When choosing which experience for your birthday event, we suggest letting your child read a little more about our rooms here on our room themes page and check out the pictures to decide which room they would prefer! The Dollhouse has a maximum of 8 players while The Stray Cat Speakeasy has a maximum of 10 players. If you have more than 10 players, please send us an email for discounted pricing if you would like to split your group into 2 teams and have them race in both rooms to compete to see who can escape first! This is a popular option for our birthday parties! Though the start times are staggered online, if you let us know ahead of time, we can begin both rooms at the same time so your players can compete to see who can escape first!

If all the kids in the group are 13 years old or older, they are able to play the room by themselves without an adult accompanying them. However a parent or guardian must stay on the premises for the duration of the experience.

We do require waivers to be filled out for each minor by a parent or guardian prior to arriving for your escape! Waivers are available right on our web site here. You can forward the link to all parents/guardians to fill out before the day of your booking.

If you do decide to book with us for your party, please shoot us a quick email after you book letting us know the date and time of your booking. We would like to include a small complimentary surprise for the birthday girl or boy. We need 24 hour notice to be able to include that so be sure to let us know so we can make a note on your booking!

We do not have a party room available for cake and ice cream after your escape. However a popular option for birthday groups is to go just across the street after your experience to Dave and Buster's as they do allow you to bring in cake to eat at their tables inside. We also have a myriad of great restaurants nearby you may want to go to after your experience including Cracker Barrel, Pop's Diner, Carrabba's, Maggie McFly's, Moe's, Panera, and more.

To see all of our available times and to book your escape, please visit our booking page here!